May is a “typical” caregiver.  She takes her mother to doctor appointments, manages her mom’s finances, and arranges for Meals on Wheels to provide her mom with nutritious meals.  May often rearranges her work schedule so she can accomplish all of this on top of parenting her teenage son and daughter.  May would like to cut back to part-time work, but in unsure whether her husband’s job is secure enough to allow her to work less.

George is less typical, but part of a growing number of male caregivers.  His wife, Lily, suffers from dementia, caused by a major stroke.  Being retired gives George time to help Lily with meals and shopping, do all the transportation, manage their finances, and arrange for Lily to attend a support group.  While his “burden of care” is great, George is able to find some comfort when he can occasionally go golfing with his church buddies.

LCS’ Caregiver University was developed to help caregivers like May and George.  The program is designed to improve the quality of life for both caregivers and those they care for, and to help caregivers avoid burnout from trying to “do it all” on their own. 

Caregiver University consists of six short classes:

• Planning Ahead
• Finding, Creating and Using Resources
• Self Care for the Caregiver
• Dealing with Memory Loss and Chronic Illnesses
• Communication and Family Dynamics
• Finances, Directives, and Leaving a Legacy

The program is congregation-based, but designed to reach out to the greater community.  Congregation members or staff are trained to be able to teach the classes, with follow-up and on-going support from LCS staff. The curriculum incorporates spiritual dimensions and needs, and uses as its foundation the ELCA/LCMS Wholeness Wheel.

Caregiver University was originally piloted in congregations in the Tacoma area.  The feedback from participants in these congregations has been very positive:  “I wish I had taken a session like this before I had to care for my terminally ill father,” one participant reflected.  Another observed “This experience made me realize how I need to get on the ball and start planning ahead.”

“This program is a good fit for our congregation, because 80% of our members are over 55 years of age,” noted James Reddick, council president for St. Mark Lutheran Church in Lacey, Washington.  “We also have a number of families who have children and young adults with special needs.”

Caregiving challenges are a common issue for many in our region.  LCS is seeking opportunities in the coming year to expand Caregiver University to serve congregations and communities in other areas of the Northwest.

Marty Richards, MSW, LICSW, who specializes in geriatric social work and has been a caregiver for family members, helped create class materials.  Richards is the author of Caresharing: A Reciprocal Approach to Care giving and Care Receiving in the Complexities of Aging, Illness or Disability.

Caregiver University was originally made possible by the Aging in Community Initiative of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation and Lutheran Services in America (LSA).  The Initiative’s goal is to help people remain safely in their homes and communities as they age, and to ensure that family members in caregiving roles receive the support they need.  LSA is currently working toward replicating the Caregiver University model in other regions of the U.S.  The program continues to be supported, in part, through grants from the ELCA Lutheran Services for the Elderly Endowment and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation.